The American Nightmare Review

Released: 2008Genre: metalLabel: Koch RecordsNumber Of Tracks: 11
This band is first-rate metal, the only thing that outshines their work on this album is their live show which delivers even more brutality than the album could dream of.

The American Nightmare
Reviewed by:
Abjathegreat, on july 07, 2010 0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Sound: Most of you have probably never heard of Dirtfedd before, and that's first and foremost a sin, however it's also a tragedy, these guys come out of Lincoln mothaf--kin' Nebraska and I've gotta say, as a native I couldn't have been more proud about a metal band to represent my state. They have labelled themselves "Midwest Boozecore," which reflects itself in songs such as "Salute," and "Wasted." The former having the crowd sing-along of sorts with the lyrics, "Drink. Fight. Fu*k. Salute." Which, in turn convinced me to turn to Islam as I had found my Mecca, unrelated story though. They combine heavy riffing from the boys' 7 strings to searing double bass drums that almost come out as a groove metal sounding type thing, as it's not always the most consistent pattern coming from them. The bass comes out strong and solid, wreaking your bowels and causing hemorrhoids of awesome. The keyboardist in this band makes me want to cry. He f--king destroys and perfectly executes his role in the band from sampling all the effects they desire to classical piano playing; it just makes me happy inside, creating thoughts of fluffy, cuddly, unicorns. But, the beauty with this album, as with any other great piece of musicianship, is in the minor details; listening for the areas where a guitarist, or keyboardist decides to have a little fun in the background under the front of terrifyingly epic vocals. Listen for it, and you shall find your hidden gold, at the end of that death metal rainbow. // 9

Lyrics: This band has what are arguably my favorite lyrics ever. Where it seems laughable at first, the best bit of lyrical genius on this happens during the song "Shotgun Romance" a song making clear it's intention with the lyrics, "You broke my heart, now I'll break your face, I bled for you, now you'll bleed for me." And, I was like you at first, I read the "I'll break your face" and laughed a little inside, but when I started listening to the song more and more, it makes me want to break that cu**'s face in the most brutal way possible, and I have no idea who it is, I f--ing love that line. Other than that, the album screams, growls, and croons about the evils of society in some songs, then meanders around the finer things in life ala the song "Salute" whose lyrical merits were covered by the long-standing phrase, "Drink. Fight. F--k. Salute." Which, I myself have gotten carried away with screaming in the pits too many times to count. But regarding the vocalist. F--k me sideways with a pair of scissors. This guy is sick, whether it's on the album, (which is not the most representative sample of his true sound), or live, he destroys. He even holds his own when opening for bands with renowned vocalists such as my favorite vocalist/lyricist the one and only Otep Shamaya, he still shines in such an environment. He has it covered from the low death growls that rock the bowels (you see what I did thar?), to the high pitched screeching scream of sonic death that instantly warrants a change of underwear for the combination of me sh*ting myself and jizzing at the same time. The man seriously does have a way with words though, the quality of the lyrics on most of this album stand out to me in a big way, some of the best of which appear on the tracks "Shotgun Romance" and "Ares" which, my CD does not come with a lyrics booklet, and I'm far too lazy to even consider the daunting prospect of looking up the lyrics myself. So, my recommendation is just find a copy of this album and listen to it all the way through a couple of times, you'll have some epic respect for these guys. // 10

Overall Impression: I honestly have no clue who to compare these guys to. The overall heaviness of their riffs and tone makes me think of Sevas Tra era Otep, and the brutality is first rate Devildriver ala The Last Kind Words album, with a vocalist that, sorry to say it, kicks the sh*t out of Dez. Dirtfedd have a sound and soul that is their own, they have their own way of doing things and they do a damn good job of it. This is one of my most prized albums, I would re-buy it no matter how many times it was stolen from me, as a matter of fact I would be extra copies for the guy who stole it from me. This band is first-rate metal, the only thing that outshines their work on this album is their live show which delivers even more brutality than the album could dream of. Take the time, listen to them, and support them. Midwest represent! // 10

i actually went to youtube and listened to a few of their songs...dont get me wrong im not downing them but they just arent my bag man...strictly my opinion if other people like them then thats awesome i just cant get into them.

You cannot compare these vocals to Dez; Dirtfedd has a more nu-metal-ish approach to vocals rather than Dez's signature growling style. That, however, does not detract from their music, i'm finding this quite pleasent compared to some of the other bands that have popped up recently.